S is for Skullduggery
The music changed and Phil drew her to a stop near the edge of the dance floor. She pulled back slightly to smile up at him. Something in his eyes shifted and darkened. His head dipped a notch. "Darcy-"
A crash echoed throughout the room. She barely started to look around before he had her moving out a side door. A gun he seemed to produce out of thin air rested steady in one hand as his other hand settled on the small of her back. Despite her time surrounded by the insanity of the Avengers and SHIELD, her head spun at the speed of his reaction. "What…?" He shook his head once as he appeared to be listening to someone. "I hate those ear buds," she muttered, as she tried to hurry along beside him. Her dress was not built for running.
"Understood," he replied to the person talking in his ear. "Get the noncombatants out of the area." He paused. "I have her." There was another short pause. "Contain if possible." He made a light note of agreement. "Confirmed." He pulled her to a stop at a hallway junction. His eyes scanned the connecting hallways before glancing down to her. His expression appeared as stoic as ever, but she had begun making a hobby out of reading each line and shadow on his face and in his eyes.
"What is it?" she asked, her heart rate picking up. The concern hidden in his gaze told her this was more than just SHIELD's usual overprotective attitude towards assets.
"HYDRA," he replied quietly. "Or some of their minions. They appear to have lost patience and jumped for the bait."
Ignoring the jolt of fear that ran up her spine, she forced her face into an expression of petulance. "Oh, well, damn," she said, lips forming a small moue of amused irritation. "Now I owe Bucky fifty dollars."
An odd light entered his eyes. It seemed to blend amusement, disbelief, exasperation, and affection all in one glance. "The two of you had a bet going on this?" he asked as he began moving her down the bland hallway once more.
"Technically," she started with a semi-guilty smile, "I had three bets going. When everything settles out, I think I'll end up twenty dollars ahead, but I still hate losing." He muttered something, but she could not quite make it out. "That better not be an insult."
He paused at the next junction and then drew her to the left. "Never," he assured her. The sound of running feet drew their attention and his eyes scanned the area quickly. "In here." Opening a door, he pulled her in and shut the door quietly behind them.
Darcy's lips twitched in amusement as she took in their surroundings. He appeared too busy listening to the movements in the hallway, but she found it a little ironic that of all places he could pull her into, he managed to choose a janitor's closet. "How cliché," she muttered under her breath.
He turned and raised an eyebrow at her before taking in the closet. With the smallest of headshakes, he moved back towards the door. A long moment passed and then he leaned against the doorjamb. "They've moved away from the door," he told her in a low voice. "The group has slowed down and seem to be searching a bit more carefully."
She blinked at him before her gaze swung up to the ceiling. "Clint?" she asked just as quietly.
"He's watching them from the vents a few hallways over. Once they're out of range we'll continue down to the garage."
"Oh?" Her eyebrows flew up. "Does this mean I finally get to meet Lola?" He blinked and she shrugged. "I'm beginning to feel a little miffed that I haven't met her yet."
One corner of his mouth twitched. "I was unaware you felt so left out." She lifted one shoulder slightly, lower lip moving into a pout, and his eyes dropped. Something dark flickered in his gaze. He lifted a hand and brushed back a lock of her hair. Tucking it behind her ear, he let his fingertips trail down her jawline and his thumb stroked over her lip.
She trembled.
The darkness hovered at his lips for a moment before he released her to touch his ear bud. "Affirmative," he replied to the caller even as his eyes never left her. "We're moving out." He reached for the doorknob with one hand as the other went to her arm. "Time to meet Lola." As she pulled herself together and slipped past him in the doorway, he leaned down close to her ear. "We'll have to work on our communication."
The promise implicit in that sentence left her more breathless than the rush down three flights of stairs. She followed him blindly, her mind concentrating on the sudden intensity of his attention to argue. It seemed that once Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD made up his mind on something, he did not bother to lollygag around. Given the single minded, not to mention highly detailed focus he gave to any task… The idea of being at the center of that focus?
It boggled the mind.
They entered the garage, his attention swinging from one end to the other quickly. Tasha slipped into view at the far end for a brief moment, just long enough to nod. Phil returned the nod and holstered his weapon. Guiding Darcy with a hand at her back, he led her to a gorgeous red 1962 Chevrolet Corvette. "This is Lola."
It was enough to bring her at least partially out of her haze. "Oh, woah," Darcy murmured. "Aren't you a beauty?" Her hand reached out, but she never made contact with the metal. She just grazed her hand along the line of the hood, hovering in admiration.
Phil gave her a grateful look as he opened her door. Her brow knotted in confusion, and she gave him a questioning glance when he slid into the driver's seat. "Everyone tries to touch," he replied to the unanswered question.
"My daddy and my uncles taught me better than that," she sniffed. "You don't touch a baby like this without permission or you deserve to lose the hand."
Another hint of a smile touched his mouth. "Good," he said simply before pulling out of the parking space.
"So," she asked after a few minutes of driving. "What happened?"
His eyes moved from one mirror to the next before glancing at her. "They took the bait, but jumped too early. Everyone got out safely and SHIELD is rounding up the squads."
"Squads?" she asked. "Plural?"
"It looks like they wanted to be sure of themselves." A thread of worry entered his expression. "Darcy-"
"Nope," she interrupted quickly. "There will be no take backs, retreats, or lane changing in this thing we've got going on. I don't care what kind of skullduggery the bad guys come up with, I'm not living my life or my choices out of fear, and I'm not letting you do it either." His expression did not change and her voice grew more challenging. "And don't think I won't drag the others into this. The triplets are already on my side, and so is Tony."
He sighed, but relaxed enough to chuckle before asking, "Exactly how did you manage to steal my spies anyway?"
Her laughter spilled into the night behind them as they sped along the highway. "I just applied the main lesson I picked up from watching my parents," she explained with her brightest smile. "Dads threaten or reward; Moms bribe."